Sugar and Spice
by IAmNotSamForReal
Summary: Laura Hollis is having a pretty rough first couple of months on her new preschool teaching job and seems to be in dire need of an inspiration—something to spice up her life. When her student's irresistible aunt, Carmilla Karnstein, comes strutting into the school building and into her life one day, Laura suddenly finds herself being swept away by rapids and rapids of spices. [AU]
1. Click

I sat slumped on the couch in the teacher's lounge of Le Fanu International Kindergarten that humid Wednesday afternoon, staring down at a close-up photo of my dad on my phone screen.

It's been almost a couple of months since I left home for a full-time teaching job in the most prestigious private international kindergarten here in Styria and I'm missing Dad and our cosy home so much.

" _Gib es her_!" A voice that unmistakably belonged to my student, Max, sliced through the wall and pierced my brain like a Ginsu knife. Time for the kids' daily battle over the Lego. I lay down on the couch and placed a throw pillow over my exposed ear, never taking my eyes off my dad.

 _Peter Hollis_ , I thought with a faint smile, _the man with the biggest heart_. Someone should award my father a Humanitarian Nobel Peace Prize or an honorary statue or something already.

Now my dad's over there in Africa—the most otherworldly place on Earth, doing the thing he enjoys the most, living his own dream.

A bittersweet feeling gnawed through me. The thing was, I was happy for Dad. I really was. But I just couldn't bring that happiness to the surface. Not when I was being constantly disturbed by some other things—some fears, I supposed.

I heard about the internal political strife in some African countries and malaria and some crazy local tribes and the killer crocodiles. God, I feared for his well-being. I had recently watched this film _The Last King of Scotland_ and what if Dad got tangled in that sort of terrifying situation?

"No!" The loud screaming of Niklas, another little rascal from an upper grade class, was heard.

"Give it back!" Max fought back.

"Christ, Dad, you have no idea how worried I am," I murmured, tracing my finger over my dad's wide smile. "Could you give me a ring when you're done saving the day? And if it's so hard to give me a ring back, shoot a text, please? Like my Facebook status, poke me, send a smoke signal or something. Just anything to assure me you're okay. Please. Please, please, please."

The first three weeks after I left home were tolerable. Dad and I had been in constant communication while he was warming up back in Vancouver, preparing himself for his dispatch to Africa, getting ready to embark on a mission to save the world. Then he took off and we just lost contact thereafter. For five excruciating weeks—that period of time he'd been in the actual field, our only interaction were five very brief, very indistinct phone calls, and a relatively longer, sweeter one five days ago. And this lack of communication was killing me.

"Stop!" Niklas was yelling back at Max. "Stop! I was playing this first!"

"But it's mine! Give it back!"

"No! _Geh weiter_! You don't even belong to this class!"

"I don't care. That's my Lego! _Gib es her_! _Gib es her_!"

"All right. That's it," I muttered, slipping my feet into my beige pumps again. I leapt off the couch and ran next door into the K-2 classroom.

"Hey!" I hollered from the doorway. "How many times do Mr. Wilson and I have to tell you? No speaking in German in this classroom. Just English, okay? And no more fighting." I stepped further inside and pointed a scolding finger at the boys. "Max, go back to your classroom. And Niklas, I want you to go to that chair in the corner and finish your food quietly. Now!"

The two troublemakers froze in mid-argument, their eyes wide as golf balls.

"And Sophie," I called to the little girl who was yelling at her classmate. "Stop shouting at Léonie or I . . . I won't give you cookies anymore."

The pretty little girl grumbled, turned around, and grudgingly stomped toward her desk. I stifled a smile. _She must really love the cookies._

Just then the head teacher, Lola Perry—a very prudish, mysophobic American, rounded the corner of the hallway and frowned at all three of us.

"Boys, no more fighting," she ordered as soon as she stepped inside the room. "And listen to Miss Laura. Finish your lunch now so we can clean up. C'mon!" The boys mutely obeyed. As soon as they trudged past, Miss Perry turned toward me and laid a hand on my shoulder. "Well, that outburst wasn't like you, Miss Hollis. What's wrong?"

I raked my fingers into my hair, grasping my forehead tightly. A sharp pain was throbbing inside my skull. "Nothing," I lied. "Everything's fine, Miss Perry." Lola Perry wasn't exactly the perfect person to share all my personal dramas with. I barely even know the lady.

"Are you sure?" Miss Perry asked.

"Yes," I said evenly. Then I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. "I'll just wait for the kids to finish their lunch."

Miss Perry nodded slowly, wiping her hands on the handkerchief she seemed to almost constantly be carrying. "All right."

 _You're losing it, Hollis_ , I scolded myself as I walked back to the empty teacher's lounge. I had to get a grip soon; otherwise I'd end up scaring off the schoolkids or accidentally scalding them as I threw stuff around. I certainly had to pull myself together.

If only I didn't have work today I could be in my own bed, reading books, or drowning my psyche in a marathon of _Doctor Who_. But no. Instead I had to wrangle with these depressing thoughts for an entire eight-hour tutoring-slash-babysitting-slash-wrestling stint. Maybe I should just fake being sick and go back to my apartment.

An ironic smile crept over my face. I knew I'd spent enough time moping around the apartment these past few weeks. Actually, this was one of the good things about my full-time job: It had definitely taken my mind off homesickness. At least for a few hours.

I plopped down on the couch again and put my phone on the table in front of me. I picked up a small bit of chocolate chip cookie from a pack and popped it into my mouth. I hadn't realised that the sky had begun to darken. A few moments after, a clap of thunder shook the windows, startling me a bit. Then a fitful, smattering rain slapped at the panes at irregular intervals. It was mid-June and a showery summer was expected. I leant back against the couch, resting my head on the leather, and let out a heavy breath. As soon as I closed my eyes, my phone went off, the vibration of the call making it dance on the wooden table. My heart skipped in excitement. Must be Dad. _Finally._

I leant forward and reached for my mobile phone.

"Hey, Laura!" It was Wilson Kirsch, another co-teacher and fellow Canadian who took a ten-day vacation leave to spend some quality time with his fiancée in Rome.

"Hey," I said a bit lamely, and hoped Kirsch didn't hear the disappointment in my tone. This was too much spunk to take without enough sugar in my own system.

"How's the circus today?" he asked, mirth in his tone.

"Ugh. God, Kirsch. Please come back. You should've seen how many children I had to play tug o' war with! For a second it felt like tug o' war for my sanity. The kids are raising all sorts of hell. Lucky me, I have chocolate chip cookies as bribe," I blurted, glad to finally have a vent. "And Sophie Karnstein—the cheeky little primadonna from your class I've been whining about all week—is seriously in need of a major attitude adjustment. Like, I'm not even kidding, Kirsch," I brought my fingers to the bridge of my nose and squeezed, "Pretty face, wise for her age, sweet tooth, but intolerable personality. I can't wait for this weekend's school carnival to meet her parents and address some issues."

Kirsch laughed. "If you've met her aunt, you'll understand where she got it from."

Six-year-old Sophie Karnstein had a face like a pretty cherub—rosy cheeks, endearing smile, pale skin like a china doll, twinkling dark brown eyes, and shoulder-length black hair with blunt bangs. She might have a sweet-looking face and a weakness for sweets just like me but don't be fooled, Sophie's a little stubborn smartass, going around the school like she's the boss, shoving her "My daddy is a super lawyer" badge in all our faces.

I sank deeper into the couch and smirked. "I take it you and Sophie's aunt don't really see eye to eye."

"Carmilla Karnstein?" Kirsch scoffed. "Christ. You'd have to know her to understand. Total hottie, well-accomplished, filthy rich, but also very dangerous and impossible to deal with. You should've seen her slay a parent whose son once got into a fight with Sophie last year. Hell," he cackled, "she deserves an Oscar for that epic verbal duel. As visually appealing as she may be, I'm just really glad she hasn't showed up in about six months now. I bet she'll get a kick out of torturing you."

"Let's not judge her, though, Kirsch," I said, fiddling absently with the knot of my light yellow sleeveless tie-front blouse. "She sounds like a pretty misunderstood character to me. Perhaps she's just over-protective of her niece. I mean, I'd also turn into a freaking Barbarian just to defend someone I deeply care about."

I heard Kirsch chuckle again. "Typical Laura Hollis. Always ready to believe the best in absolutely anyone," he said. "Honestly, how can you be so smart and yet so naïve?"

"I wouldn't call it naïve. I prefer to think I give people a fair chance."

He snort-laughed. "Right. If you met Lord Voldemort in a deserted alley, you'd probably think he was just out getting a breath of fresh air."

I let out a groan. "You're lucky you and Danny are my favourite couple and I'm one of the bridesmaids in your upcoming wedding or I would've disowned you as a new best friend. You're such a dork."

"Birds of the same feather . . ." he teased. "Anyway, you seriously need to go out more, Lo. You're moving two miles per hour in the dating department. When I get back, we have to find you some nice potential distractions to help cure your homesickness. A wild, passionate summer fling, perhaps?"

"Flings are not exactly my cup of tea, Kirsch. Plus, I'm twenty-four years old—a bit old for games," I replied, reaching back to massage the bunched muscles in my neck. "And how dare you give me relationship advice? You've only been with one girl your entire life."

"Danny Lawrence is not just a girl in my life, Laura," he answered in a serious tone. "She's my life. She's my entire world. I knew the moment I saw her back in freshman high school that she was the one I was going to end up with. Now, look where we are. About to get married in a few months. When you meet _The One_ , why look around, yeah?"

"You're such a sap; it's disgusting," was all I could say, and he laughed at this.

"Someday you'll find that one person who'll turn you into a mushy piece of trash. I swear, you should start going out and meeting new people, Lo. A smart and sweet lady like you, with a sexy body and pretty face walks by, and all men in a twenty-mile radius are reduced to senseless drooling."

" _Women_ ," I corrected, brushing a few cookie crumbs off my dark blue knife-pleated skirt. "What could I possibly want with an entire population of peckerheads called 'men'?"

He laughed again, but didn't comment any further. "So . . . I'll be back this weekend just in time for the summer festivities with the kids. Can't wait to kick your butt at the claw arcade machine. Most mushroom plush toys wins."

I allowed a chuckle. It was always so nice to have my tall co-teacher as a cheerleader. He had always been there.

"Hey, Laura?" Kirsch's tone suddenly turned serious.

"Yeah?"

"Did your dad return your calls and messages already?"

The lurking dreadfulness of the day suddenly gathered itself into a tight ball in my stomach. I had a sudden, ominous ache of tears, but I managed to answer casually, "Well, we did talk for like ten minutes while he was at a hospice in Zambia five days ago. But that's about it. It wasn't even a decent one since he was with friends from work. There were so many people in the background and they kept talking to him and I felt like . . . I don't know, like an outsider?" A tear ran down my face and I hastily wiped it.

"Hey, maybe this is a sign that you should get on with your life as well 'cos he obviously is living his life back there," Kirsch explained, his voice sober with concern. "Your life doesn't have to revolve around your dad, Laura."

My lip trembled. "That's the thing. He's the only person that matters to me right now. And I promised mom that I'll take care of him. And now here I am, thousands of miles away from my dad. And what if something bad happens to him and I won't be there?" My voice broke, and a new round of tears streamed down my face. I pulled a piece of napkin from the wooden napkin box on the table in front of me and wiped my tears.

"Yeah, well," he said, in a low sympathetic tone, "listen, Little Lo, I know it's hard. But it's only for another few months."

"A week away from Dad seems like a lifetime." I sniffled, then wiped my nose with a knuckle. "God, sometimes I don't even know why I'm here."

"But you said this is your dream . . ."

"I know, I know," I said, shredding the damp napkin into little bits. "I mean, I don't know. I think this is what I want. It's what I've always wanted. It's what I've been working on for the past few years. But I also need my dad close to me. And I know it's impossible for the two to go together at the moment."

Across the miles, I could practically feel the telepathic hug from my tall friend.

"Laura," Kirsch started sympathetically, "you've done enough wallowing for two months. I think it's time for you to learn how to adapt to this new situation you're in and establish new connections. I'm sure your dad would have wanted you to go out, try new things, and meet new people. You seriously cannot let this homesickness thing put your life on hold. Get on with your life, okay? Look for the right sort of inspiration. Find something or someone to spice up your life."

I buried my face in my hands and groaned. "Dammit, Kirsch. Why can't you be like one of those dudes who just shrug it off and tell me to just suck it up? Why did you always have to be right and say it to my face?"

Kirsch chuckled. "You need someone to be pushy with you, Laura. You are just so stubborn sometimes," he said, then added, "Anyway, I've to go now. Danny needs me. I'll see you soon, Lo."

Before I flipped the cover flap of my phone's leather case over, I caught sight of Dad's wallpaper picture staring at me from the phone screen. "Don't look at me that way, Dad," I said. "I know I promised I will girl the hell up here and not miss you that much, but I really miss your long hugs and watching BBC Specials with you in the living room and listening to your pep talks every morning during breakfast."

Dad's photo gazed back at me silently.

"Okay, if you answer me right now, I promise to go out tonight after the staff meeting and get a life," I said, scrolling for his number, then pressed _Call_.

I counted to ten.

Then I counted to twenty.

No answer. With an exasperated sigh I tossed my phone into my open tote bag, zipped the bag closed, and headed to the fridge for a tub of vanilla ice cream, hoping those soothing rich frozen spoonfuls of perfection and goodness could wash down this bitterness I had been feeling.

I managed to make it through a couple of Circle Times, table work and a few minutes of free play in the garden with the kids without bursting into tears. Thanks to my other perky co-teachers, Natalie and Elsie, who were so nice to offer to cover for me and suggested that I should get some rest in the teacher's lounge. They probably saw how puffy and red-rimmed my eyes were.

 _More sugar and a pillow_ , I thought the second I reached the seclusion of the teacher's lounge again. _That's all I want._ A tub of ice cream and a big, fluffy pillow to hug.

I didn't even get to the first scoop of ice cream before the tears came.

 _Two months. It's only been two freaking months_ , I thought miserably, plopping back down on the couch and burying my face into the pillow. _How am I going to make it through one school year?_

A knock on the door was heard. A tiny head popped out of the slightly opened door. It was Sophie Karnstein, a look of concern creasing her features.

"Miss Laura, I heard you crying from our room," she said. "Are you okay?"

Instantly I sat up and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "I'm okay, Sophie. Thank you for asking." I offered a weak smile.

The little girl pushed the door wider and took a hesitant step inside the room. "Is it because of us? I'm sorry if we made you upset, Miss Laura." She gaped at me with her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth sheepishly.

"No, sweetie. I just miss my daddy, is all." Then grinning now, I held up an extra spoon and gestured for her to come over. "You want to share this ice cream with me, Sophie?"

"Yes!" she squealed then eagerly dashed toward me and stood in front of me. "Just your daddy? What about your mommy? Do you miss her too?"

"Mommy's in heaven now," I answered, scooping ice cream into a cup for the little girl. "And, yep, I miss her too."

"Well, here's a flower I made for you, Miss Laura." Sophie reached out and handed me a perfectly-folded yellow paper lily that she had been hiding behind her back, making my eyes well up with tears again. I felt a wave of affection toward the little girl and instantly felt guilty. How could I have possibly thought this girl was a little monster when she's probably one of the sweetest people on the planet?

"Next time I'm gonna give you an angel," she continued. "One that looks like your mommy so you won't miss her that much." Sophie's tiny arms suddenly went around me in a comforting hug. "Don't cry anymore, Miss Laura."

I hugged her back and closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth. "Aww, that's so sweet and nice of you, Sophie. Thank you." Then when we let go of each other, I held the flower up again and asked with a wide smile, "Who taught you how to make this, sweetheart? It's very pretty."

"Aunt Carmilla," she replied with a proud smile. "She's the best at origami. And she makes the best sushi. And a lot of Japanese stuff, too. That's 'cuz she's stayed in Japan."

"That's nice." I sniffled. "Come sit, dear." I patted the space next to me invitingly.

Sophie happily plopped down beside me on the couch and I handed her her cup of vanilla ice cream. "Do you want me to teach you how to make a paper penguin, Miss Laura? My aunt just showed me how to last night. It's super easy."

"Sure, sweetheart." I opened the topmost drawer of the low cabinet next to the couch and grabbed a pack of art paper.

I watched and tried to follow as the adorable little girl demonstrated the steps, in awe of how skillful she was at such a young age. I noticed how her eyes sparkled at every fold she successfully made, incredibly amazed by how much passion she put into such little things. It made me wonder if her Aunt Carmilla were the same, too. If she were, then I don't think I'll have a problem meeting her too, despite Kirsch's warning.

Suddenly Sophie was laughing uncontrollably so I asked, "Why are you laughing, dear?"

"It's just funny, Miss Laura," she said in between laughter. "Now I'm the teacher and you're my student."

Smiling, I fondly ruffled the little girl's hair. "You sure are clever beyond your years, Sophie. Are you sure you're only six?"

She looked up and grinned. "Aunt Carm tells me the same thing. You should meet her, Miss Laura. I'm sure she'll like you as much as I do."

I drew back and let out a surprised chuckle. "You like me? I thought you hated me, Sophie."

The little girl shook her head and mumbled through the fresh spoon of ice cream in her mouth, "Nope. You're the only teacher I like around here, Miss Laura. I wish you'd teach our class instead of Mister Wilson. Mister Wilson is funny but sometimes he is so annoying and icky." She scrunched her nose. Then she leant close, cupping her hand around her mouth, and whispered in my ear, "And he always farts in class."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud and scoop the adorable girl up onto my lap as I went on laughing. My first real laugh of the day. _Gosh, this girl is golden. Can I keep her in my pocket?_

A few minutes passed with a lot of giggling and ice cream-eating and listening to Sophie's Super Aunt Carmilla stories as she and I worked on more origami animals when suddenly I heard an unfamiliar voice. A sexy, unfamiliar voice.

"Hey."

I lifted my head and a heart-stoppingly gorgeous woman in the doorway caught my eye and I froze. In fact, "caught" was an understatement—"demanded" was more like it.

With a sexy, amused smirk, the stranger stood in all her breathtaking glory—a white blouse that hugged her curves in all the right places with a few top buttons unfastened leaving a fair portion of her chest in plain view hidden underneath a black blazer, a pair of black pants and black stilettos, gorgeous black hair gently flowing down her back in loose, effortless curls, while a few short locks dangled over her face, and a jaw that looked like it could carve diamonds . . . and she's looking straight at me.

"Aunt Carm!" Sophie hopped off the couch and made a beeline for the gorgeous woman.

"Uh—hi," I stammered, standing up from the couch. My stomach gave a little squeeze. _Stay calm, Laura,_ I ordered myself as I stood there, weak in the knees. No need to get all worked up. She wasn't the hottest girl I'd ever seen or anything. Right.

"I'm here to pick this little munchkin up." At the sound of her voice, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and my blood moved quickly south. "My brother Will and his wife are currently out of the country on a business trip."

"Oh." I was hit with monosyllabic lock jaw. "Uh—ah . . ."

But could you blame me? The eyes, the brows, the nose, the mouth, the jaw—everything shifts into perfect balance.

My daydreaming got interrupted by a clearing of throat from the raven-haired beauty who had commenced a sexy trudge toward me and stopped to stand a metre in front of me. Good God, she was even more gorgeous up close. Hotter than anyone I'd ever known. I'd clearly been spending too much time with books and TV shows and Audrey Hepburn fantasies. The second my gaze met hers, my brain cells deserted me again, leaving me high and dry without a single coherent thought I could latch on to.

 _Crap. Say something, you idiot_ , I chided myself. Don't just stand there like some drooling stupid dork who can't say two words to someone just because she happens to be an irresistible woman. A dangerously irresistible woman. In ways more than one.

She was now studying my face with slightly curious puckered brows. I still probably looked like a mess from all the crying I did today.

"Right. You're _the_ Super Aunt Carmilla?" was all I was able to say, sounding a little shy and a little breathless.

She smirked. "The one and only. I'm sorry, was my niece bothering you, Miss . . . ?" She extended a hand for me to shake.

Slipping my palm into hers, I felt the sensation of our touch in every nerve in my body. Her fingers were long and tapered, looking like they could weave magic. If I hadn't known better, I'd have sworn her skin was velvet. "Hollis. Laura Hollis," I said, shaking her soft hand. "And no, not at all. Sophie's just teaching me origami and bragging about her Super Aunt Carmilla."

"Oh, she said some really nice things about me, then?" The way she bit her bottom lip and the way her dark brown eyes gazed into mine with intensity made my heart stutter.

"To sum it up: You're apparently the best at everything," I managed to reply.

A slightly smug smirk crossed her red lips as Sophie bounced up next to her. "And you know what they say about kids, 'They could never lie worth a,'" she covered her niece's ears, "'shit.'" She quickly removed her hands and Sophie frowned up at her with a disapproving shake of her head. I couldn't help but laugh, liking the dynamic between the two.

"Miss Laura is my favourite, Aunt Carm," Sophie enthused as she dug her spoon into the ice cream and Carmilla was just looking down at her, all ears. "Even though she's not my real teacher. She gives us cookies and sometimes she sings and sometimes she dances like a Velociraptor," she did the goofy dance, eliciting an amused chuckle from her aunt, "and it's so funny. And she talks about dinosaurs and unicorns and elves and dragons and makes us draw our dreams. And she makes us solve puzzles and riddles . . ."

My eyes were just glued to the two, captivated. Sophie looked every inch of a mini Carmilla. They both have the same hair colour, eye colour, perfectly sculpted jawline, smooth pale skin, and they have the same wicked, spellbinding glint in their eyes that could charm virtually anyone. It's freaky and frightening, in a way. But definitely fascinating.

"And she's so pretty, too," Sophie went on, mumbling through a spoonful of ice cream. "Don't you think Miss Laura is pretty, Aunt Carm?" She looked up at her aunt expectantly.

Carmilla's gaze shifted to my face. "Yeah," she murmured pensively, "Miss Laura is pretty, munchkin. Very pretty." And Sophie beamed, pleased with her aunt's answer.

Blushing furiously, I gave a laugh and rolled my eyes, pointedly ignoring the shiver that had gone through me.

Putting her hands into the pockets of her blazer, Carmilla regarded me with a knee-weakening little grin. "Sophie must really like you if she calls you her 'favourite.'"

My brow quirked up. "Is that right?"

"Yes," she said. "The last person she called her favourite was my ex-girlfriend."

I stared at her, my mouth open. "Oh."

"Sounds very promising, doesn't it?"

"It sure does," I managed to answer. "If facing a certain inevitable doom is your twisted definition of the word 'promising,' that is."

Good thing Carmilla's phone started ringing as this allowed me to release a breath I didn't realise I was holding in.

When Carmilla took out her iPhone from a pocket of her blazer and excused herself to talk to her 'nerdy ginger chef' friend for a short while, I took this opportunity to feast on the brunette again. Her face was smooth, almost begging for me to stroke a hand along her cheek. Also, she had curves in all the right places. My God. Is she even real?

As I stood rooted to the spot like a post during Carmilla's brief phone conversation, I suddenly became aware of the gorgeous woman's smell—sweet shampoo and something else, some deeply sexy lotion that smells like cinnamon. I felt the tingling inside my stomach spread like fire through my chest and up my face.

"So . . ." Carmilla inched closer and pocketed her phone again. "I haven't seen you before, Miss Hollis."

"Yes, I, uh, I just started about a couple of months ago," I replied, and hoped she couldn't see my chest heaving because my heart was tap-dancing like a demented squirrel.

"I used to always fetch Sophie from school every day but an opportunity came up and I had to move to Tokyo. Had I been informed that there's an impossibly cute new teacher, I would've flown back earlier."

I let out a laugh again, desperately fighting back the blush that had been threatening to cover my cheeks. Good God, this cannot get any more embarrassing.

"If I may ask," I said, "what do you do, Miss Karnstein?"

The woman smirked and raised an eyebrow. "That's a little personal, Miss Hollis, but since you asked politely . . . When I'm not posing in front of cameras, I run a chain of Japanese restaurants and pick my niece up from school. In other words, model-slash-chef-slash-restaurateur-slash-babysitter. We actually just opened a branch downtown. You should check it out if you want to experience the best damn sushi on the planet . . ." I stood there, just letting the low rhythms of Carmilla's voice take me into a little daydream. ". . . my own recipes. Once you've tasted my sushi, I'm certain you'll be asking for seconds and thirds and maybe more."

"Mmm . . . I love sushi," I heard myself sighing and found my eyes resting on Carmilla's kissable lips before returning them back to her eyes, only to find the dark brown orbs staring at my own lips.

A long, heated moment passed before Carmilla looked away and chuckled at the sight of her niece. Ice cream was all over Sophie's face.

"Oh munchkin, look at your face!" She crouched down on her knees and chuckled some more.

I offered the wooden napkin box to Carmilla. She gratefully took a couple of pieces and started wiping the ice cream off of Sophie's face. Her phone was buzzing wildly in her blazer pocket again but Carmilla didn't pay attention to it. Her focus was entirely on her niece. "Such a messy eater, you. Your mommy's going to get mad at me, Soph. She'll think I'm spoiling you again." She gave the little girl's chin a final wipe and then leant forward to kiss her cheek gently.

"She does have a mind-boggling sweet tooth," I commented, refilling my own cup with ice cream. "And this judgment is coming from another big fan of desserts."

Carmilla smirked proudly. "That's good, then," she said, watching as her niece scooped up some ice cream. "She's showing she clearly is a Karnstein with the sugar devotion, and even better still she takes after me in practically every way, much to my brother's annoyance."

I shook my head, chuckling, as I took a huge spoonful of ice cream. "Your niece is going to be dangerous one of these days, Miss Karnstein."

Carmilla's smirk turned wicked as she looked over her shoulder at me. "Oh, trust me, she _is_ dangerous now."

"Aunt Carm, want some?" Sophie said in her cute voice, offering a spoonful to her aunt.

Carmilla leant in and only took a small bite and grinned. "It's yummy. Thank you, munchkin." Sophie giggled and began to stuff her face with ice cream again.

"You two seem super close. It's so cute and amusing, I can't take my eyes off you two," I commented, probably looking at the two with heart eyes, as I went on eating. "It's rare to meet a filial person, especially a . . ." I gestured toward Carmilla, "badass-looking one like you."

Carmilla straightened up. "And I should say I'm impressed with you, Miss Hollis," Closing our gap again, she traced the line of my lips with her eyes while biting down on her bottom lip—at that, the rumbling began in my veins—"I mean, you deal with all of these little rascals five days a week. And yet there's not a single wrinkle on your pretty face." Her gaze roamed over my jawline then down to the hollow where my collarbones meet and it lingered there. "God, you really are beautiful . . ."

Her words and the sexy lip-biting thing she did sent electric shock waves jolting through me, settling deep in my belly. I couldn't help thinking Carmilla Karnstein was an expert at this sort of flirty banter. I had to admit there was something flattering about her attention.

"And a messy eater, as well . . ." She lifted one hand and brushed the backs of her fingers over my chin. It was the merest feather of a touch, but it seared like flame, and I felt my breath catch in my throat, as if my body had forgotten how to go about the process of breathing.

Carmilla pulled her hand back and gazed at her fingers. And her actions meant that she'd felt it too. My breath came back in a rush that would have been a loud gasp if I had not been able to muffle it.

"You are perfect," she said, her gaze meeting mine again.

Three words, two curved lips and bam, I was teetering on the edge of Lake Lusting.

To hide my flushed face, I slapped myself on the forehead and turned my gaze away. "Oh God. I feel so rude," I exclaimed, awkwardly moving across the room toward the coffee maker. "You've been in this room for about half an hour already and I haven't offered you a drink yet. Would you like some coffee or tea, Miss Karnstein?" I gestured for her to sit down. "And please, have a seat."

"Coffee will do, thanks," Carmilla said, taking a seat on the couch, her eyes twinkling in amusement as she continued to watch me from across the room. "And please, just call me Carmilla."

"It's just really surprising seeing the way you are with Sophie." The words just tumbled out of my lips as I filled a cup with brewed coffee. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the dark-haired woman still watching me and I could feel her gaze burning me. I straightened up, tightening my fingers around the small spoon as I stirred the coffee because I was afraid they would shake. "You remind me of a croissant. Rough on the outside, but a big softie on the inside."

"Nice analogy." Carmilla let out a sexy chuckle.

I bit down on my lip. I would rather have been just about anywhere else. It was the only way I could avoid looking at Carmilla like a thirsty piece of trash. But I knew she was there, right across the room, and I knew she was as aware of me as I was of her. Aware and just being so goddamn irresistible.

"You have some sort of magical powers with kids," I went on. "I can just feel it. How I wish they listened to me like that. I have to resort to bribing them with cookies or chasing them until I'm about to pass out." I went back over to the couch and handed the dark-haired beauty her drink. "Here's your coffee."

Carmilla's brow furrowed, as she brought the cup to her lips. "Funny, I just saw you earlier making origami with Soph. You seemed like a natural, Miss Hollis."

"I love playing with them, not herding," I snorted, and the raven-haired woman laughed again. "Oh, and here you go." Sitting down next to the laughing woman on the couch, I offered my pack of chocolate chip cookies. She took a piece. I took a handful.

As her laughter subsided, I saw a strange twinkle in Carmilla's narrowed eyes that effortlessly set my pulse off in a mad race once more. While silently nibbling cookies, I sneaked a glance at her from beneath my lashes, then looked away. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her gaze traveling slowly downward as she elegantly sipped her coffee. Suddenly I was acutely aware of the short skirt I was wearing. I grabbed instinctively at the hem of my skirt and yanked it down with both hands.

I had the strange sensation of being totally exposed—and not just because of how I was dressed. It was as if Carmilla was seeing some part of me that nobody else could see, a part I barely knew was there. Something in her expression—something I didn't understand but that I sensed in my gut, or maybe in my heart—told me that she understood things I could only guess.

And just as I was about to believe the two of us had made this incredible, unique connection, Carmilla abruptly picked something up from my lap and gave it to me. It was a large bit of cookie that obviously fell from my grip while I was fidgeting. "Here. I'm not sure if you're a five-second rule supporter or . . ." Gingerly, she placed one warm hand on my lap and brushed the crumbs off my skirt.

"Thanks," I finally managed, hoarsely, popping the cookie into my mouth. "I'll take baked treats anyway that I can have them." I let out a nervous chuckle.

"Why are you so tense?" Carmilla asked, her hand gliding downward and stopping on my knee. She gave it a soft squeeze.

My mouth had gone bone-dry as I grew dense with desire. "What?"

She set her cup down on the saucer on the table. "You're looking at me like I'm the 'scourge of the town' and you're the shy little local girl. Like how the good girls used to look at bad boys—half-scared, half-fascinated—and would chase after them in the end."

I cocked an eyebrow, ignoring how I was reeling with the fascination of touch as if it were a new sense. "You think I would chase after you?"

"I don't just think, I _know_."

"Huh."

Biting her bottom lip, Carmilla then took a piece of pink art paper and began folding. It quickly transformed into a paper heart. She grabbed a Sharpie and started scribbling numbers on one side of the paper heart. "If I offer you my phone number, would you keep it or just throw it away?" Gently placing her hand on my knee again, she held up the origami heart in front of me with challenging raised brows. "I have a pack of business cards but I prefer to do it the cheesy way. So?"

I bit the inside of my cheek and blushed some more as I stared at the paper heart that was dangling from her fingers, numbers scrawled across it. "You're unbelievable," I grumbled, and took it from her.

A triumphant smirk tugged the corners of her mouth. "I guessed right," she said, removing her hand from my knee and I instantly missed the feeling of her touch. "So I was wondering . . . do you have any plans tonight, Miss Hollis? I propose the three of us have dinner together. I'll have a special table reserved at the restaurant."

As Carmilla picked up her cup of coffee again, she had a wicked smile dancing on her lips and a penetrating glint in her dark brown eyes, and I realised that I was crossing a dangerous territory. My stomach tightened.

"That proposal sounds really tempting, Carmilla, but we have an important staff meeting in less than an hour, what with the school carnival in three days. It's just a crazy week and we—"

"It's okay. I totally understand." The brunette finished her coffee and elegantly placed the cup down on the saucer then on the table.

My hands were gesturing wildly as I tried to explain some more. "It's just that I'm in charge of the floor plan of the carnival games and booths and I have to give a report to the fair committee and I can't just—"

Carmilla raised a hand and cut me off. "It's okay, Miss Hollis. No need to explain."

I shifted on the couch to face her completely. "I just don't want you to think that I'm turning you down because I'd really, really love to join you guys and—"

With a husky chuckle, Carmilla reached out a hand, laying a light touch on my arm. "It's fine," she said, smiling. "Really, Miss Hollis. Don't stress about it." She stood up and adjusted her blazer.

For a split second I thought of faking being sick and just pull a no-show for the scheduled meeting later, but I stopped the sloppy thought right away. _What were you thinking, Hollis? Responsibilities are responsibilities._ I mentally slapped myself and only hoped Carmilla wasn't the type who gives up very easily.

"Rain check?" I said with a hopeful little grin, pushing myself off the couch. "I'd love to try the best sushi on the planet."

She turned to me and smiled. "Sure."

Sophie tugged at my hand. "Miss Laura, may I have more ice cream, please?"

Carmilla was the one who answered, taking the cup from the little girl's hands. "No, you may not, munchkin. That's enough." She turned to me and handed me the empty cup. "Well, I guess it's time for us to go before Sophie gets a sugar high. Trust me, it's going to be a series of unfortunate events when she does," she said, eliciting a laugh from me. "Anyway, it was a real pleasure meeting you, Miss Hollis." With another gorgeous smile, Carmilla held out her hand again for a shake.

"Please, just call me Laura," I said, returning the smile and took her hand to shake but instead she lifted it to press a soft, lingering kiss on the back of my hand. Suddenly there was a butterfly farm in my tummy.

"Thanks for being perfect, Laura." Carmilla released my hand to gently grab Sophie's hand. "Come, munchkin. Time to go. Say bye bye to Miss Laura now."

Sophie waved sweetly at me as her aunt steered her to the door. "Bye bye, Miss Laura! See you tomorrow!"

I waved back with a big grin. "Bye, Sophie!"

"Hope to see more of you, Laura." Carmilla had her hand on the knob as she turned her body to look at me as if she were trying to get a fill of me.

I could only respond with a smile.

"And oh, cupcake?" the dark-haired woman said as she opened the door.

"Yes?" I wondered how I managed to stay upright because the new nickname she just threw my way weakened my legs.

"I'm a Karnstein and by gene selection, not much good at this sort of thing," Carmilla said. "But whatever it is that's bogging you down, you'll get through it." She embellished those words with a wink before disappearing through the door with her niece.

The door closed gently behind them and I stared at it. After a short while, I took one step backward, then another, then plopped back down on the couch and stared at the pile of origami animals on the table. Turning to the side, I stared out the window and saw the dark-haired Karnstein pair playfully skipping puddles of rainwater on the parking lot. I hugged a pillow.

With a sigh, I picked up the floor plan I had designed for the weekend school event, wondering how I was going to start reviewing it when my body was humming in private places and my mind was filled with erotic thoughts of one Carmilla Karnstein. _Crap._

The sound of their loud giggling could be heard and I found myself getting up, bringing the pillow with me, and moving to the window—just gravitating toward them. I watched in silent amusement as the two playfully tickled each other inside Carmilla's car, which was _wow_. That was one hella expensive sleek black Jaguar.

Another shared laughter between the two as Carmilla made faces at her niece then started the car.

I smiled faintly. I knew I wanted to spend more time with Carmilla and get to know her more. There was something infinitely appealing about the woman.

And seeing her with Sophie just made something click. I hugged the pillow tighter to my chest. I wanted to be part of that.

That was how the idea began.

I counted to ten.

Then I counted to twenty.

Another fit of giggles from the two was heard. A wide smile crept across my face as I looked down at the pink paper heart in my hand. Quickly I scurried back to the table to get my phone from my bag, typed the digits in, and pressed _Call_.

"Hey, Carmilla. On second thought . . . do you think there'd be enough sushi for me there?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, as I listened to the brunette's sexy laughter. I didn't like breaking rules and wasn't used to change and had always stayed on course and I really didn't want to make up stories for selfish reasons or make it seem like I'm an irresponsible, unprofessional adult. But what could I do? It wasn't like I had the strength to resist Carmilla Karnstein's charm. Besides, the last thing I needed in my life right now was more _what if_ s.

So I'd go. I'd probably hate myself for taking this risk, but I'd go. Chasing after Carmilla Karnstein might be an unusual, scary getaway in a whole new world. It could be an open-ended journey or it might end in a certain inevitable doom. Sounds terrifying? You bet. Yet despite that, or maybe even because of that, I found myself beginning to smile.


	2. Magic

"Jesus Christ, the customer service here is shit," Carmilla said loudly as a short-haired ginger clad in a Japanese-style chef uniform approached us at the sushi bar. "Where are our goddamn desserts?"

I stared at Carmilla, then offered the startled staff an apologetic smile and pointedly looked at the little girl sitting in the cranky brunette's lap, relieved that Sophie had earphones on and was busy on her iPad. I then gave Carmilla a disapproving frown. The raven-haired woman only responded with a wink and a shit-eating grin.

"Very funny, Karnstein," the redhead said, with a steady full-toothed grin from behind the counter, setting down a couple of plates loaded with mochi balls in different colours in front of us. "If you want to show everybody what truly superior Kuroneko Sushi's service looks like, you're welcome to take my shift for me, and I'll sit over there and hang out with Sophie and your new gal-pal while you struggle for small talk."

"Okay. You won that round, LaF," Carmilla said, laughing. "Laura, this is LaFontaine, our brilliant chef and sometimes my best friend when I'm in the mood for one," she introduced, eliciting chuckles from me. "LaF, this is Laura."

During the car ride on the way here to the restaurant, Carmilla briefly explained LaFontaine's being non-binary and their preferred pronouns which I easily understood. The redhead did seem everything Carmilla had described them to be. Animated. Nerdy. Beamish. Someone I predicted I would get along with.

I reached over the counter and offered my hand to the grinning redhead. "Hi, LaFontaine. I've never seen this grouchy woman before," I declared, gesturing toward Carmilla. "She just sat down here next to me and I was afraid to ask her to leave. She looks dangerously unstable."

The redhead shook my hand, grey-blue eyes twinkling. "You wanna talk dangerously unstable, you should see Carmilla's reaction every time I kick her ass at poker," the ginger said, and I laughed and grabbed my chopsticks again. "So, what do you think about the restaurant, Laura?"

I picked one mochi ball up from the plate. "I love everything about it," I answered earnestly, biting into the sticky rice cake with red bean paste inside. "I love how it feels so homey and unique and authentic with the paper lanterns and bamboo decors and all. And don't get me started with the food. I might not be able to shut up." I studied the chewy dessert trapped between my chopsticks, impressed. "This mochi is so freaking good, by the way," I added, and LaFontaine did a silly little victory dance that made us laugh.

"Be careful, Miss Laura. Chef LaF is a ninja," Sophie suddenly blurted, not taking her eyes off the dinosaur documentary she'd been watching on her iPad.

"LaFontaine holds the record for fastest carrot peeling and chopping here in Austria," Carmilla explained, when my brow furrowed in curiosity.

I was genuinely in awe. "Wow. That's quite impressive, LaFontaine."

LaFontaine gave a lopsided grin. "Not quite, actually. Wait 'til you see my battle scars," the ginger told me. "Take a look." The red-haired chef held up their left hand and wiggled their index and middle fingers. "Six stitches on both fingers." Then they held up their bandaged thumb and said, "Fourteen stitches all-in-all on this poor little one." They grinned at me. "Sort of blows your impression of me, huh?"

Smiling, I gave the redhead a wink. "Nah. You still get stars for being a certified badass."

LaFontaine put their hands on their chest. "Aww. I like you already," the ginger said in a sweet little voice, making me giggle. Then the normal voice returned. "Seriously, you're awesome, Laura. Way more awesome than all those other girls Carmilla has dated. I'm really glad my best friend finally snagged—" they cut themselves off when Carmilla fixed them a look. "Right. Shutting up now." The redhead settled into the bar chair behind the counter with a sheepish grin.

"Sooo," LaFontaine began, drumming their fingers on the counter and gazing at me and Carmilla with curious narrowed eyes, "mind if I ask how you two met?"

"At Sophie's school," I answered and couldn't help but smile, the memory giving me butterflies. "I work there."

"She's Sophie's teacher," Carmilla added, fondly stroking the hair of her niece who was still busy on her iPad. "I went to pick this little munchkin up at school today and there she was."

LaFontaine shook their head as their grin grew bigger. "Hitting two birds with one stone, eh? Man, I might have underestimated you, Karnstein. You still got game."

Carmilla's mouth curled up to one side as she gently bumped her shoulder to mine and murmured, "Tell LaFontaine how I made you stutter, cupcake."

I drew back, my mouth parting in protest. "Wha—I didn't—that's not—"

The brunette smirked triumphantly and turned to her friend. "See? I'm making her stutter now."

"How about you tell LaFontaine how you couldn't keep your hands off me," I shot back with a smirk of my own.

Carmilla's brow quirked. "Oh really. I may have failed to notice since I was busy looking at your tomato face and worrying whether I should get you an inhaler."

"Well, excuse me, Miss Karnstein. But you were invading my personal space, being all shamelessly flirty and touchy-feely."

LaFontaine grinned at the two of us. "You fight like a married couple already, I love it."

Carmilla leant close to me, getting into my personal space like she kind of always did, and wiggled her gorgeous brows. "Admit it, cutie," she purred, "I drive you crazy."

"You're flirtatious, self-indulgent, and cunning as hell. Of course, Carmilla, you drive me crazy."

With a megawatt grin, LaFontaine leant over and whispered to Carmilla from behind the back of their hand. "You've got a keeper there, C. Keep near to her. She's good for you, I can tell."

I blushed and noticed a pink tinge in Carmilla's cheeks too which LaFontaine detected as well.

LaFontaine drew back and gasped. "Woah there. Am I hallucinating or are those cheeks of yours actually turning beet red, Karnstein?" The laughing ginger teasingly gave the brunette's shoulder a couple of quick little punches. "You little smitten kitten."

Carmilla gave a humourless laugh. "You know, LaF, there are only a few moments where I'm glad you're my best friend. And this is definitely not one of them. But I'll let it slide because I'm out with the world's most beautiful woman and I have no intention of spoiling our night."

LaFontaine doubled over laughing. And I was just sitting on the bar stool, uncontrollably feeling a flutter of date jitters. Weird. I hadn't experienced that sensation in ages.

Carmilla turned to me, her eyes drooping at the corners. "I'm so sorry about the discomfort that you're probably feeling right now, cupcake," she said, touching my back caressingly. "LaFontaine never really meddles in my love affairs but I guess they made an exception for you."

With a breathy laugh, I looked down and smoothed a hand over my skirt, whisking away a wrinkle that didn't exist. "Not that this ranks up there with the all-time awkward moments in my life. But . . ." I gazed up at her. "We both love sushi and care about the same little girl." I reached out and gave Sophie's hair a little ruffle. "So those are things we have in common. A nice place to start, you know."

The brunette licked her lips and leant close again. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you implying there's a possibility of me taking the world's most beautiful woman out on another date?" she asked in her deep, seductive voice, as her hand slowly slid down to the small of my back.

"If you aren't secretly an axe murderer or a vampire seductress, then why not." I gave a little half-shrug, and she laughed at this.

LaFontaine cleared their throat. "Um. As much as I hate interrupting your verbal foreplay with your new gal-pal, Carmilla, Mr. Reese from the Sydney head office has been waiting for your e-mail. Logistics-related issue, I think. Also, Mrs. von Unwerth needs you to call her back ASAP regarding the _i-D_ photo shoot. Oh and Mattie called, asking if you're gonna join the training session tomorrow. Where the hell's your phone, anyway? And why am I the one reminding you about all of this? Where's your personal assistant?"

"Left it in the car. And I shipped Betty off to Ibiza for her not-so-well-deserved summer vacation," Carmilla answered dryly, nose crinkling. "It's my day-off. I told you, LaF, when I'm with my favourite things, I'm not to be disturbed."

"I know that, C. But our Manila branch needs your say on the line of rice bowls they want to upgrade from promotional items to main-menu items. Also, Singapore's waiting for your response on their menu modification—" Carmilla's loud groan cut them short.

The brunette scooped Sophie up onto her shoulder then carefully put the little girl down onto another empty bar stool. "What's the point in hiring all those people when they are incapable of calling the goddamn shots? Useless lackwits."

LaFontaine frowned. "Carmilla, no need to be a sasshole. They've been trying to reach you the whole day. These are urgent matters."

I touched Carmilla's shoulder. "You should go, Carm."

Leaning over, the raven-haired woman gently cupped one side of my face with her hand. "But you're so perfect," she murmured, running her fingertips down my smiling cheek. "I don't want to leave."

LaFontaine gave a mock shiver. "I swear to God I'm going to go into sugar coma just watching you two."

I held the arm that Carmilla used to touch my face. "I promise, go and deal with your business stuff, when you come back here I'll still be perfect," I said, and Carmilla grinned, pleased with my reply.

"Oh God." LaFontaine covered their mouth with their hands, their shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

"Go." I gave her arm a soft squeeze.

The brunette let out a groan but dutifully let go of me. "Fine," she said, sliding off her stool. "I'll just make a few phone calls and be back soon, cupcake." She snatched up her black blazer and I whirled on my stool to help her slip it back on.

Carmilla turned to me and grabbed both my hands gently. "Don't go anywhere, please." She hugged my hands to her chest. "If nothing else, I never get tired of sneaking glances at you." She then brought my hands to her mouth, pressing soft kisses. "I'll make a special smoothie for you while I'm in there."

I smiled up at her. "You don't have to."

"But I want to," she simply said in a murmur.

Sophie removed her earphones and grinned up at her aunt. "I want a smoothie, too, Aunt Carm!"

"Sure, munchkin." Carmilla leant over her niece and pressed a kiss on the little girl's forehead before turning on her heel and sashaying toward the kitchen.

When Carmilla was out of earshot, LaFontaine spoke. "You two are perfect for each other. Like peanut butter and jelly. Far from identical and yet you complement each other. It's so gross and I love it." The redhead sighed, resting their chin in their palm. "I don't think I've ever seen my best friend so enamoured before."

I chewed my bottom lip, confused about the tumultuous emotions that were suddenly flooding me, as I watched Carmilla disappear behind the kitchen door curtain in stunned amazement. This was almost unbelievable. The past three hours had been insane. I, too, simply wanted to revel in the connection that Carmilla and I had, that incredible fire, but I couldn't help wondering if all of this was real. It was just too good to be true. Feeling disillusioned, I spun on my stool to face the bar again and picked up my chopsticks. Seriously, though. How could someone as amazing as Carmilla Karnstein be interested in someone as plain as me? And how on earth would my boring and organised world ever meld with the woman's rough and tumble existence? Yep. Too good to be true. So out of my league. I let out a sigh.

"Okay, Laura, out with it." LaFontaine gave me a little poke on the shoulder.

"Out with what, LaFontaine?" I asked, leaning my elbow on the counter with studied innocence.

"Oh, come on, Laura," the ginger said, taking a bottle of beer from the fridge below the counter. "You've been sitting there, staring into space. You've barely touched your dessert. What's eating you?"

I pushed the food around on my plate with my chopsticks. "Well . . . I do need to talk to someone about it," I hedged. "It sounds a little stupid, though. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it."

LaFontaine leant forward, ready to devour my every word. "Hey, you can tell me anything."

After biting the inside of my cheek in hesitation, I finally took the plunge. "Everything," I started, "feels really weird to me ever since Carmilla waltzed into my life."

"Weird, like how?" asked LaFontaine, taking a sip of beer.

"I don't know. I can't help but think that this is all a dream, you know. I suddenly feel like a _Disney_ princess. I mean, look at Carmilla. She's flawless, smooth, and amazing in every way, and I'm sure there's a cavalcade of hot ladies vying for her attention. And I don't know if she's being serious about . . . me."

"Did you ever feel like she's only playing you?"

"I don't get that vibe, to be honest," I answered. "I mean, Carmilla's been nothing but sweet and romantic and sincere to me since we met and she never actually gave off the impression that she's only messing with me."

"There goes your answer," LaFontaine said simply.

I looked down, absently poking a pink mochi ball with a chopstick, and mumbled, "I mean, I don't know." I shrugged. "Everything has been overwhelming. It's all happening too fast and I find it too good to be true."

LaFontaine smiled softly and nodded. "I get it, Laura. Carmilla is adventurous, experienced, mysterious and intense, and I know that that is scary and intimidating but it's very obvious that she's into you. Like for real," the redhead said in a serious voice. "And to be honest, you're the only one, besides Sophie, who can make Carmilla Karnstein's tough-girl heart melt around the edges. I've never seen my best friend smile and blush this much so that's gotta mean something, right?"

I smiled faintly. "I'm not sure about that, LaFontaine," I said, mindlessly toying now with a fancy leaf garnish on top of another mochi ball. "Maybe she likes me now, then change her mind tomorrow."

LaFontaine shook their head, smiling. "For a _Disney_ princess, you are not big on happy endings, are you?" When I didn't answer, the redhead reached over and gave me a soft punch on the shoulder. "Hey, I've known Carmilla all my life. She's not the type to go after every hot piece of ass she spots. Trust me, she only has good intentions. And I know deep inside, you believe that."

I couldn't help but nod in agreement. "You're right." I sighed. "Maybe I'm just making an issue out of nothing."

"Look, just don't overthink and enjoy the ride," LaFontaine advised sensibly. "With Carmilla Karnstein, you never really know what's gonna happen next. But that's the exciting thing about it, yeah?" I chewed on my lip and considered that for a long second when LaFontaine gave me another cheery punch on the shoulder. "Yeah?"

I finally nodded, now with a smile. Because LaFontaine was right yet again. Carmilla was unpredictable and that was one of the things I found so appealing about her—which was weird because I used to be that eager beaver girl who reads the last page of the book first because she needs to know how the story will end before she begins to read it.

Straightening up in my seat, I put down my chopsticks onto the plate and gave the spacious, swanky restaurant a thorough scan. The tables were packed and the crowd seemed decent—everyone wore nice clothes and looked like they belonged to Styria's _Who's Who_. They certainly took Japanese fine dining to a whole new level. And the fact that Carmilla Karnstein was the brainchild behind all of this was just amazing.

I was still smiling when I caught sight of Carmilla in the kitchen doorway. My smile froze when my eyes collided with hers. She was staring at me from under lowered brows, paying little or no attention to a uniform-clad employee who was talking to her. She gave me a wink. I blushed.

"Super Aunt Carmilla's really cool, isn't she?" Sophie suddenly blurted, making me turn to the little girl who seemed to have been watching me stare at her aunt. "When I grow up I wanna be just like her 'cuz she's so awesome," she said with a proud smile. "Will you marry Aunt Carm, Miss Laura?" she asked, making LaFontaine spit out their beer. "'Cuz she told me she's gonna marry a nice girl and she's lonesome right now."

I drew back and let out an incredulous chuckle. "What?"

"If I promise to behave in class and not make fun of Mr. Wilson again, will you marry Aunt Carmilla?"

I was definitely taken aback, but managed to smile through it. "Well . . ."

"'Cuz she's always smiling when she's with you. And I always want to see Aunt Carm happy. Look!" She pointed to a direction.

My gaze followed where Sophie was pointing her finger at. Carmilla was dashingly chatting now with a suit-clad old man at a table. And I sat there, thinking that Carmilla had grown even hotter in just a span of a few hours, which made no sense at all. Good God. The woman was certainly a provocative blend of sexy confidence and bold femininity.

I turned back to Sophie. "Your Aunt Carmilla is really awesome, Sophie," I replied softly, giving her hair another gentle ruffle. "But I'm not sure about the marriage part yet."

Her tiny brows came together in question. "Why not? Aunt Carm likes you. She never invites people to have dinner with us. Only Ell but that's a long time ago. I don't like her now 'cuz she made Aunt Carm cry."

"Sophie," LaFontaine warned in a low tone, wiping the beer stain off their uniform.

Sophie scowled at the red-haired chef. "Aunt Carmilla likes her, it's true! 'Cuz she calls Miss Laura 'cupcake.' She only gives funny names to people she likes, right?" She turned to me again. "Why won't you marry Aunt Carm, Miss Laura?"

"Only time will tell, Sophie. It's not as easy as that. It's something that people really, really have to think about. It's not something that you can just wave a magic wand at, you see."

Sophie folded her tiny arms over her chest and huffed. "That's the problem with old people. Time, time, time. Think, think, think. They waste a lot of time thinking. They're just scaredy-cats. I don't think I wanna grow up anymore 'cuz old people are stupid."

I gaped at Sophie. Damn. Where did this kid come from? Seriously.

"Kid's got a point." LaFontaine smirked, nodding in agreement. "We're all scaredy-cats."

Sophie did that little kid 'I told you so' shrug. "See?" Then she lowered her voice to a whisper, cupping her hand around her mouth. "And I'm 100% sure Aunt Carmilla likes you."

I tucked a hair behind my ear self-consciously and laughed a little. "Oookay."

The little girl drew back, her eyes wide as saucers. "Why are you laughing? Don't you like her, too?"

Straightening up a bit stiffly, I pressed my lips together and fixed the ribbon on my yellow blouse. To be completely honest, I'd spent a lot of time thinking during the car ride and had reached a conclusion that I would maintain a platonic relationship with Carmilla to avoid complications at work and my co-teachers' prying eyes. But now just thinking about not being able to get intimate with the gorgeous dark-haired woman, I was having a hard time remembering why a platonic relationship had seemed so important. How could I sit here and not look at the irresistible brunette like a starving woman suddenly confronted with a five-course meal?

"There are lots of kinds of like, Sophie," I finally answered. "Some like you can ignore better than other kinds of like."

LaFontaine squinted at me. "Uhh. What the hell's that supposed to mean?" The ginger turned to the little girl. "How about you, Soph? Did you understand that?"

Sophie shook her head. "Nuh-uh," she said, then turned to me again. "But you were just staring at Aunt Carmilla like you wanna kiss her."

I felt my mouth dry up. "I wasn't staring at her like—"

"Yes, you were!" she teased.

"No, I wasn't," I said firmly and caught sight of LaFontaine struggling to keep a steady face.

"Yes, you were! I saw you!" Sophie exclaimed with a laugh. "I saw you, Miss Laura! You wanna kiss Aunt Carm!"

I was glad it was a little dim at the bar area of the restaurant or everyone would have seen my face go from pale to pink to burning, shameful bright red. "No, I wasn't," I maintained. "Sophie!" I scolded in a whisper.

Grinning, the six-year-old giggled. "Oh, don't be mad, Miss Laura," she sang out, poking my arm teasingly. "Well, you know it doesn't matter 'cuz Aunt Carm's been staring at you like she wants to kiss you, too."

I felt a headache forming as Sophie kept on taunting. _God, when will this little smartass stop?_ I glanced over my shoulder and my eyes widened in trepidation as I caught sight of Carmilla now sauntering toward us with a couple of drinks.

I nervously looked over toward LaFontaine and mouthed "Help!"

"Sophie, that's enough," LaFontaine said, shooting up, and raised a finger in warning. "You're making Miss Laura uncomfortable."

"Please. Pretty please, Miss Laura," Sophie urged, clasping her hands imploringly. "I just want Aunt Carm to be always happy. Please marry her."

"Sophie, stop it," LaFontaine chided between clenched teeth, stifling laughter. "If you . . ." the ginger trailed off when Carmilla reached the bar.

"Here's your choco banana smoothie, munchkin," Carmilla said, placing the drink in front of the little girl. "And here's a special green tea smoothie for you, cupcake." She handed me the drink.

Sophie wiggled her eyebrows then made another pouty face. "Please, Miss Laura?" I only sat up straight and gave the little girl a tight smile.

"Am I missing something here?" Carmilla asked, flicking her eyes from Sophie to LaFontaine then to my flushed face. "What have you been talking about?"

Swinging her legs back and forth, Sophie sipped from her straw noisily in feigned innocence. "Nothing, Aunt Carm," she said promptly.

Carmilla turned to LaFontaine. "LaF?"

LaFontaine only shrugged, trying to hide their smile while they pretended to whip a stubborn stain from the counter.

Carmilla fixed the ginger another grim look. "LaFontaine."

"Sophie was just asking Laura to marry you. And Laura got a little overwhelmed," LaFontaine blurted out.

Carmilla's mouth opened in an amused "Oh." Then she leant over to face me on eye-level. "Well . . ." A smirk tugged up one corner of Carmilla's mouth. "I'd get overwhelmed, too," she purred, her eyes sexy as hell, her lips taunting me to kiss them. "I'm a real catch." With a smug smirk, she wiggled her brows and my face grew hot. "Right, Miss Hollis?"

I stared into Carmilla's laughing dark brown eyes, really tempted to grab the lapels of her blazer and kiss that smug smile right off her flawless face. But I only rolled my eyes flippantly and turned away as the three of them laughed at my reddened face. Sadists, I thought. Charming sadists.

While finishing our desserts, the four of us talked about a rake of things. I couldn't help but smile. It was so nice to be out with Carmilla and Sophie. In fact, it was nice to be out with anyone after two months of being the third wheel in Kirsch and Danny's world of coupledom. And as expected, it was Sophie who did nearly all the talking. There were several moments when I simply stared at Carmilla—the way she nodded her head politely and good-naturedly answered Sophie's bombardment of questions, the way her hand tucked Sophie's hair behind the little girl's ear, the way her fingers swirled the straw in her drink elegantly, the way her lips curved to a soft-hearted smile every so often. She would turn sideways to look at me from time to time with a beautiful grin that softened me inside and made my pulse race a bit. She was very pleasant and patient with her niece that I was struggling not to melt into a puddle of quivering, smitten goo beside her.

The rain was falling again when Carmilla and I watched from inside the restaurant as LaFontaine buckled Sophie into the backseat of the redhead's Chevy pickup truck. Having a lot of paperwork to do in her office, Carmilla had asked LaFontaine to take Sophie home.

As soon as they headed off, Carmilla turned to me with a knock-you-in-the-gut smile. "Sophie and LaF seem really taken with you, Laura. You have no idea how glad I am to see you getting along with them. If they don't like you, believe me—they would have let me know. As smart as they both are, they don't always know when to keep their opinions to themselves."

"To be honest, I think both of them are lovely, but that dinner was probably the most fun and most uncomfortable I've ever had in my life," I admitted, and both of us laughed so hard at this.

After we had sobered, I shifted my bag to the other shoulder and smiled gratefully at the taller woman. "Thank you for inviting me, Carmilla. I really had a lot of fun tonight."

Carmilla drew back and held up a hand. "Wait. Hold on, missy. You talk like our date is coming to an end." A playful smirk played on her lips. "The fun's just about to start, cutie."

I put my hands on my hips, tilted my head to the side then raised a brow. "So you created an itinerary for us without my knowledge?"

"A bit of mystery keeps things interesting," she replied, with a sly grin. "That was the sugary bit of our date, now we move to season it with spices. And you know what they say about spices . . . They blow your mind."

 _Oh God._ I was overcome by that feeling again—that I absolutely had to run off and take a few deep breaths and not have to deal with the pounding in my chest, the rush of heat along my nerves. Like that moment when I realised I was intrigued beyond normal with the dark-haired woman in the teacher's lounge. Too fast, too furious.

Carmilla took a provocative step forward. "So?"

I swallowed, my heart racing. _Ten seconds to make up your mind, Hollis._

I counted to— _Oh dear God._ I didn't even get to three because Carmilla was raking her fingers through her hair which I found to be way hotter than the sexy lip-biting thing _._

"Let's go," I said, a little breathless.

With a knowing smirk, Carmilla took my hand, interlaced our fingers and led me into the kitchen, grabbing a few things along the way, then steered me around a corner and up a narrow flight of stairs.

We reached a wooden door. "Here we are," announced Carmilla.

My brow furrowed in question. "Wait. Just what exactly are we doing?"

A half-shrug. "I guess you'll just have to find out."

"At least give me an idea. I hate not knowing what will happen."

"I'm gonna have to ask you to wear this," she said, handing me a half-apron, "and I'll be needing this." She held up a knife and then winked.

"Oookay." I let out a nervous chuckle and stepped back. "This is kinda creeping me out. Please tell me this is not some sort of secret lair. I've seen enough creepy B-horror movies to know not to follow strangers with cutting tools into a shady room or I'd end up like one of those dumb coeds who get hacked into cocktail franks," I rambled, making the dark-haired woman crack up.

"See here?" Carmilla used the toe of her shoe to point to the spot on the ground where I was standing. "This is your comfort zone, Laura. And here," she then pointed to the door. "This is where the magic happens."

"What does that even mean?" I moved to lean against the wall next to the door and shoved the apron into my bag.

"Christ, Laura. Can't you just wait and see?" she said out of the corner of her mouth as she unlocked the door.

Carmilla then grabbed my wrist and pushed open the door. She gestured both of us inside. But the room was dark.

I hesitated in the doorway. "Carmilla, I'm not kidding. This is creeping the hell out of me. Seriously, this is—"

Carmilla flicked a couple of switches and I suddenly lost my language skills, my eye scanning every inch of the dimly lit medium-sized room.

Soft lights twinkled above. White, tiny fairy lights dangled all over the place like floating stars. To the left was a tiny office space with computers, cabinets, and stacks of folders, to the right, all windows lined with one comfy chaise longue with throw pillows, and in front was a stainless steel table and on top of it were essential sushi-making tools and ingredients. Sweet music spilled from the speakers overhead.

It all felt magical, indeed. Wow.

"I initially planned on setting the whole thing up on the roof-deck but then it rained so I had our sushi-making and stargazing session moved here to the office," Carmilla explained, shrugging off her blazer and hanging it on the coat rack next to the door. "And I know it doesn't quite compare to Sophie's origami version but due to time constraints I can only offer you those. I hope you don't mind," she motioned for me to check out the bouquet of white lilies lying on a small circular table nearby, eliciting a soft gasp of delight from me, "And you mentioned during the car ride that you like champagne so . . ."

"You didn't have to," I said, picking up a stem of lily to take a long whiff of its scent.

Carmilla moved to the far side of the room and opened a cabinet, reaching high up and revealing a bit of skin underneath her untucked white blouse. In my mind, I'm drooling, but exteriorly, I managed to stay calm.

"Why do you always think things are done out of necessity?" she asked, as she grabbed a bottle of expensive champagne and a couple of crystal flutes. "Of course I didn't have to drag you all the way up here and I didn't have to ask my staff to set up all this . . ." Expertly she popped the cork of the champagne, poured some of it into the crystal flutes, "but I did it because it's fun. It's different." Then she sashayed over to me and handed me one. "And I want to do fun and different with you, Laura." She raised her champagne flute and I happily clinked it with mine.

I pretended to examine the contents of the flute before sipping. "This isn't spiked, is it?"

She shook her head, grinning. "Look, under no circumstances am I attempting to lure you."

"Between the chaise longue and the flowers, you could've fooled me," I said, and the dark-haired woman laughed.

After a long sip of champagne, Carmilla slipped her free arm around my waist and drew me close. "So what do you think, cupcake?" she asked in a smoky voice, gesturing vaguely to the romantic setup.

I sipped my champagne and hummed, turning my body towards her. "Well . . ." I gazed up and met Carmilla's heavy-lidded eyes.

"Well?" She slid her hand down to the small of my back, urging me closer. I could feel her heat, could smell the spicy aroma of her lotion, and suddenly I could barely breathe. Silence, except for our hearts that seemed to pound together. My eyes travelled the expanse of her face. So beautiful. And so impossible to resist.

"Well . . ." I repeated in a low voice and slowly reached out for her collar with my free hand. "It certainly is much better than my getting-hacked-into-cocktail-franks theory."

Carmilla's eyes were now dark with intensity as she gazed down into my eyes. "Are you implying there's a possibility of me marrying you one day?"

"That depends, Chef Karnstein," I murmured, biting my lower lip and pulling her closer by the collar of her blouse.

Carmilla's gaze shifted to my mouth, and I could feel desire growing between us. It felt like a thunderstorm gathering in the horizon. "On what?" She tightened her hold around my waist, and I noticed how her body seemed to fit against mine. I could smell the remnants of champagne on her lips, and as we stood holding each other, all my senses seemed to come alive.

I tipped my nose up a little. "If you aren't a sloppy kisser."

Carmilla closed the distance between us until the tip of her nose was brushing ever so gently against mine, and I forgot breathing altogether. "I say we put that to test now."

My hand travelled up to the side of her neck then landed to curve around her nape, and I savoured the moment before the kiss. Carmilla and I, our lips almost touching. I was acutely aware of everything around us—the rain drumming on the roof, the soft music playing in the room, the cars passing by somewhere in the distance, and the loud clattering of pans and utensils from the kitchen downstairs.

But at the same time there was nothing but the two of us. The feel of her heart beating against my body, her scent clinging onto my top. Her mouth was so close to mine that I could feel the electricity.

Suddenly, sweetly, Carmilla lowered her head and our lips met. Mouths gentle, soft, a shared breath. A sweet kiss, and then a more burning one. More hunger. Mouth against mouth with more pressure, more urgency. Sizzling electricity jolted through both of us.

I let out a soft moan. We pressed together with my hand moving through her hair, stroking her. Soon our kisses went even deeper.

It was like fireworks exploded inside my body, with a blast of desire so hot. I knew now why people spontaneously combust—from kisses that surprised you with that intense, I-need-you, I-want-you rush.

Her tongue slipped easily past my lips and moved against mine in what felt like a mating ritual, ancient and elemental and magical. Her fingers flexed tighter on my side, holding me firmly against her. And I could only let her take over me with her ravenous, passionate mouth and greedy touches. She probed lustily, sending another unfamiliar wave of sensation shooting up through me.

Carmilla eventually broke the kiss, gently tugging my bottom lip with her teeth before releasing me. Eyes fluttering open, I sagged back weakly against her arm. She was staring at me, waiting for a reaction. My body jolted. My legs shook. My breath was coming hard and fast. She smirked when she saw the look of stunned wonder in my eyes.

"Wow," I breathed, a little giggle escaping my lips. "I think a good laugh and a good meal and a good kiss were just what I needed."

Carmilla's smirk grew into a self-satisfied grin. "Well, my diagnosis is that you should probably have them more often, cupcake," she murmured and pulled me into another deep kiss causing the champagne I was holding to spill all over the floor.

"Shit. I'm so sorry, Laura." The brunette jerked back, letting out a husky laugh.

"It's fine." I shrugged my shoulder, still dizzy with desire. "The taste of your lips is much better anyway."

"Oh well, in that case much obliged."

I smiled at her, wrapping my hand around her neck again with my fingers playfully running through her hair as I stood on my tip toes. Then our lips pressed together once more for a soft, deep, searing kiss that spread fire though my body.

"I think we should postpone this and start with the sushi-making session," Carmilla murmured between our kiss.

"But I don't want to," I moaned and continued to kiss her.

The dark-haired woman pulled back slightly and chuckled, as I cupped the nape of her neck tightly, not wanting to stop.

Carmilla's eyebrows scrunched together. "I put all that time and effort into this private one-to-one lesson and you don't even want to enjoy it?"

"Well, yeah, because all I want to do right now is this." I kissed her deeply, cutting her off before she could even reply back.

I nipped at Carmilla's lower lip, suckling on it because I couldn't get enough of the rich taste of the brunette tinged in champagne. That and the knee-weakening soft mewling sounds Carmilla would make were driving me wild and making me wet down there. The urge to simply rip the taller woman's clothes off and sink into her was frighteningly strong. It was maddening.

Carmilla leant back slightly, maintaining our closeness, and pushed my hair behind my ear.

Then her lips touched my earlobe, nipping at it until my eyes fluttered closed. "You are such a spoiled brat . . ." Her voice was husky, her breath warm in my ear. "And I'd love to continue spoiling you, Laura, but it's very rare for me to want to stick to an itinerary, to any schedule in particular. And I'd really want to share one of my passions with you which is making sushi. Is that okay, cupcake?" The tip of her tongue flicked against my earlobe and her hand went into my hair and I felt like I could combust again. "I promise more magic will happen later. Okay?"

"Okay," I breathed. _Oh God._ Just the feeling of her fingers running through my hair was giving me heart palpitations. "Okay."

Carmilla pulled back with a smug smirk, and nodded her head. "So my theory proves to be correct after all."

"Theory?"

"Shy little local girl helplessly hooked on the scourge of the town . . ."

We looked at each other and laughed as we both blushed. Then the brunette gently took my hand and interlaced our fingers. "God, we're such a cliché," she said out of the corner of her mouth as she led me toward the table. Tying a half-apron around her waist, Carmilla grinned at me. "Ready for lesson number one, Miss Hollis?"

 _"Don't overthink and enjoy the ride."_ LaFontaine's words rang inside my head.

I swept my hair in a top knot bun. "You bet."


End file.
